One of the many benefits of using the Telegram app is the ability to easily download files of unlimited sizes.

However, even the most reliable applications encounter occasional glitches, and one common frustration Telegram users face is the unexpected interruption of downloads in the background.

In this article, we will address the query of why Telegram download stops in the background and how you can fix it.

Assuming you are downloading a file of 200mbs, are you supposed to stay using the app and watch the file’s progress until it is done? Can you do something else while you are downloading the file?

Well, Yes you can. However, sometimes your Telegram download may stop or pause in the background probably due to internet, storage, power saving, or the Telegram app settings.

How to fix Telegram not downloading in the background

Downloading files in the background can happen in one of three ways in the Telegram app;

• Closing the chat you are downloading from and opening another chat
• When you minimize the Telegram app and use another app
• When you exit/ close the Telegram app

1. Closing the chat you are downloading from and opening another chat

Normally to download a file on Telegram, you find the file in a chat or a group, and tap on it to open it in the media viewer where you see an icon or button that represents the download action. This is usually a downward arrow or a download symbol. 

To download the file, tap on the download icon or tap and hold on the file, then select “Save to Downloads” or “Save to Gallery” from the context menu. 

The file will be downloaded in the background, and you can continue using the Telegram app normally to chat with other people, send messages or do something else within the app while the download is in progress. 

The download should be able to complete successfully without any problems, if your Telegram download stops in the background then check the next section for possible solutions.

2. When you minimize the Telegram app

As long as the telegram app is just minimized and not closed, all your downloads should be able to continue and be completed without any problems. 

If your Telegram download stops or pauses in the background, then these may be the possible explanations:

1. Poor or unstable internet connection: Telegram files may fail or pause in downloading if the network connection on your device goes off or is not stable. 

Fix: Be sure to establish that your network connection is steady and has good signal strength to avoid any interruptions to your downloads.

2. Low storage space: Your Telegram file may stop or pause in downloading if your disk drive or device storage runs out.

Fix: To avoid this, make sure to free up enough space on your device or change the destination disk for downloads to a memory card or disk with enough free storage for the files you are downloading.

3. App Permissions: Sometimes the problem is that your Telegram app doesn’t have permission to run in the background or is not allowed to access relevant services.

Fix: To ascertain that this is not why your background downloads are not working, go to your device settings> apps > Telegram > Permissions and make sure that all appropriate permissions are granted. 

4. Power saving/battery optimization settings: Most smartphones have battery saving settings that limit application activities in the background to save power and have your device run for a longer period.

Telegram may be one of the applications affected by this setting on your device thus affecting background downloads.

Fix: You can turn off or customize this setting by selecting the device settings and choosing the battery option. Here you can either choose to turn off the battery saver mode or you can decide to exclude the Telegram app from the list of apps that are affected by this setting. 

5. Software Issues: Sometimes the reason your background downloads are not working is something to do with software. It could be that your Telegram app has some bugs or glitches or your device system is malfunctioning. 

Fix: In our opinion, if the above solutions are not helping your problem, then this may be the alternative solution. There are several steps you can take to try and solve this issue as we are going to summarise below.

• Update your Telegram app and make sure that you are using the latest version of the app since newer versions often include bug fixes and improvements.
• You can also clear cache and data for your Telegram app. Go to settings>storage>apps >Telegram and then clear cache and data. However, be careful as clearing data will erase your message history as well as any recent updates to the Telegram app therefore ensure that you have a backup of your data. 

Note

However, be careful as clearing data will erase your message history as well as any recent updates to the Telegram app therefore ensure that you have a backup of your data.

• Closing the Telegram app completely and restarting/re-launching it may also help resolve any software issues.
• Check for any system updates for your device as this may help fix software glitches. Go to settings>system>system update, here you should be able to see if there is an available update for your device system or not.
• Try restarting your device as the problem may be with your device software, not the Telegram app. 
• If all the above steps are not fixing the problem, then try uninstalling and reinstalling the Telegram app on your device. 

3. When you exit/close the Telegram app

Generally, just like most social media platforms, Telegram does not allow downloading files in the background if you exit or close the application. The download will be paused and continued once you reopen the application and click on the download icon. 

However, you can try one of the solutions below; they may be able to crack the Telegram download stops in the background problem. 

1. Play the file while downloading it: When you receive your file in a chat/group, tap the play icon to start playing it. Then while the file plays, click on the three dots next to it and choose “save the file to music”. 

Since the file will continue playing in the background even when you close the app, the download will also continue and therefore will be completed. 

The disadvantage with this method is that only one file can be downloaded at a go and as you may have already realized, it only works for audio files. Nevertheless, you can try it for multiple files and let us know how that goes.

2. Switch on automatic media downloading: If you want to save all the media that you get on your Telegram app, then this option will work for you since the files will download automatically in the background even when you are not using the Telegram app. 

Simply go to your Telegram app menu and find settings. Tap on Data and Storage, there you will find the option of automatic media download. Choose whether to automatically download files on mobile data, Wi-Fi, or when roaming.

You can also decide what kind of media files can be automatically downloaded, whether photos or other files. However, take note that this option has a limit to the sizes of media that can be automatically downloaded.

3. Use a Download Manager: This is another easy and good way to work around the Telegram background download problem. Though many people don’t know about this, the process is easier than you may think. 

• Open your Telegram app and search for GetPublicLinkBot, and click on it. This will add it to your account.

• Then go to your chat/group where the file you want to download is and forward it to the link bot.
• As soon as you forward the file, the bot will send you a message informing you that it is helping you generate a download link for the file. 
• Once the bot generates the download link, click on it and the Telegram app will redirect you to a browser to download the file. 

• When the file starts downloading, you can now close the Telegram app and continue with something else while your download runs in the background. 

Telegram Background Download FAQs

Conclusion

We hope that this article will help in understanding and resolving your telegram background downloads not working. If you have any other resolutions to this problem please share them in the comment section and don’t forget to share this article if it has been of great help. 

For any comments, questions, or suggestions, please use the comments box below. Remember to subscribe to my Youtube channel and newsletter for more tips and tutorials.